


We'll fly with broken wings

by KrazySuperGirl



Series: Billions of Beautiful Hearts [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Relationships, Bruce is super akward, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is a Ray of Sunshine, F/M, baby!Dick, the Graysons are not taking his shit, the fallof the Graysons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22578436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrazySuperGirl/pseuds/KrazySuperGirl
Summary: John and Mary walk leisurely back to the circus. “That man really needs people in his corner.” John remarks.“And to realize there are already people in his corner.” Mary adds.He hums in agreement. “He has a lot of anger in him.” he observes.“The best ones often do. You did.” Mary nudges her husband. “You still do.”Dick pipes up, “Broose is a best one. He’s a superhero!”They laugh. “Yes, he is, Dickie.”(Or: Bruce Wayne, twenty years old, traveling around the world to train, meets circus acrobats John and Mary Grayson and their four-year-old son
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, John Grayson/Mary Grayson
Series: Billions of Beautiful Hearts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624645
Comments: 19
Kudos: 558





	We'll fly with broken wings

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU where Bruce meets all his kids at a younger age. The main idea of the fic is that Bruce first establishes himself as a guardian/parent when he is traveling around the world and 1. Dick needs more from him emotionally, and 2. Bruce cannot lean on Alfred for help with parenting. As a result, Bruce is a much better parent. He also makes a few friends.

Bruce Wayne did not believe himself to be a good man.

He was unkind and harsh, stubborn and unyielding. He was hollow, without compassion, made up of only jagged edges that hurt anyone willing to get close to him. Everywhere he went, people eyed him warily, held their children just a little closer, fearful of the darkness that trailed in his wake. They were right to. He was dangerous, a pitiful mockery of his parents’ legacies. He knows twenty ways to kill a man with his bare hands and a hundred to kill him before he even knows it. He learns more with every passing day. 

He knows what he is doing will never be enough, will never fix what is broken in the world (what was taken from him), but it must be done, and if he has to do all these things that would never make his parents proud (Alfred frowned and Leslie shook her head  _ what have we taught him _ she said when he was supposed to be gone), then he will, because it may save someone else from the pain in his chest, from the storm of anger, of betrayal, of loss, of  _ they didn't (I don't) nobody deserves this. _

Bruce cannot be gentle (is afraid to be) in a world that will never respond to kindness (will take him by the hand he offers and drown him), in a world where monsters respect only their own (flock to the brightest lights and devour them).

* * *

It’s an out of the way town in East Europe where Bruce sees a pair of truckers pushing around the assistant at the local grocer’s shop.

“Who d’ya think ya are punk?”

“Huh? You think yer better’n us?”

“We wanna take an extra case a beer, we’re gonna damn well take an extra case.”

“What’re you gonna do about it, huh? Shove a bill in our faces?”

Bruce shoulders his way between the boy and the men. Hood up, and voice low and menacing, he stares them down. “I suggest you pay for your beer.”

“Ain't nonna your business, asshole!”

(Bruce’s eyes soften as he tells the boy, “go”.)

“I made it my business.” he growls.

The first man throws a punch and Bruce grabs his arm and pulls so he falls. The other man rushes him and Bruce kicks him in the groin. The man curls in a ball on the ground and Bruce turns around, right into a fist to the face. Bruce grunts and the first man tries to punch him again, but Bruce flips him over his shoulder and slams him into the ground. Bruce is not gentle. 

Bruce straightens and looks around him. The people in the street are staring. In Gotham, a fight like this wouldn't have warranted a second glance, but these people are not so hardened.

A couple around their late twenties approach him, breaking the spell. They don’t seem phased at all. The man’s arms are occupied by a little boy, but the woman reaches towards him. “Are you alright?” she asks. “Your nose is bleeding.” 

He sidesteps her hand awkwardly. He touches his nose and realizes it is bleeding. “It’s not broken.” he grunts.

“Well here, take this then.” she hands him a handkerchief, and simply places it in his hand when he raises it to protest.

The man nods towards the two men on the ground. “They’ve been nothing but trouble the whole time we've been here. You did good taking them down a peg.”

Bruce doesn’t answer but they don’t wait for him to. “I’m Mary. My husband is John. This is our son Dick. Say hello, Dick.”

The boy chirps brightly, “Hi!”

Bruce gives him a tiny smile. “What’s your name?” John asks.

“...Bruce.” He’s traveling under his own name. It wouldn't make sense to give them a fake name, but his first name is common enough.

“It’s nice to meet you, Bruce. You’re not from here, are you?” Bruce shakes his head.

Mary hums, “Didn't think so. Your accent is American. We’re not from here either.”

John continues, “We’re acrobats, with a traveling circus. We’re staying here a few weeks before we have to leave again for our next show.”

Bruce had noticed their physique earlier, and this makes sense.

“Where are you staying?” Mary asks.

Bruce hesitates, but they seem genuine. “The bed and breakfast down the street.”

“We know the one. They don't serve very good food, do they? Have you eaten at Harold’s?” John asks.

“No.”

“You should. We help out there a couple nights a week for a bit of extra income, and the food is good. All local dishes. Simple, but delicious.”

Mary adds, “It's getting late. Come get dinner with us.”

Bruce tries to protest, “Oh, no. I don’t want to trouble you. I’m sure you…”

“No, it’s no trouble. Come now Bruce, just humor us.” John grins.

Bruce hesitates, but little Dick tells him seriously, “You should listen to Mami and Tati.”

Bruce caves. “Alright.”

“Wonderful!” the older woman says.

The couple leads the young man to the aforementioned restaurant. They greet the owner and make several suggestions as to food items. (Bruce notices many of their suggestions are good for energy and gaining muscle mass. Acrobats have lean muscles. Bruce is just trying to understand their motives.)

Mary and John continue to do most of the talking, telling Bruce about the circus and how they got there, their backgrounds, and various stories about their lives, interspersed with several questions about Bruce, and he slowly grows more comfortable with them. He even answers them truthfully sometimes. They ask at one point, “What do your parents think of you traveling the world?”

Bruce stills, willing himself not to flinch. “My parents were killed when I was a child.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Mary apologizes.

“It’s fine.”

There is an awkward pause, then she asks gently, “What do you believe they would think?”

Bruce looks up from his food in surprise. He thinks for a moment. “I...don't know. My guardians...did not approve, and they were close with my parents.” he tells them haltingly.

“My parents helped people. My father was a doctor, but I don't know that he would approve of my way of helping people.” he admits.

John asks him, “Do your guardians know you’re doing this to help people?”

“Yes, but I think they believe it’s an obsession. But I...I just don't want what happened to my parents to keep happening. And I know...I know that I can never hope to stop all murders from happening, can never catch and punish or reform every criminal, but if what I do can make a difference, no matter how small, if I can stop even one child from having to watch their parents die, isn't that important enough to give it everything I have?”

Bruce keeps talking. All the things he’d never said, all the things Alfred and Leslie hadn't known how to ask about, his trainers hadn't cared to ask about, and his peers he’d never let close enough to ask about, all the things he’d needed to say, they all come spilling out. John and Mary listen and prompt him occasionally. He tells them about everything he studied, all the avenues he’d explored, and everything he was planning to learn. He told them how the system was corrupt where he lived, and he couldn't be a police officer, how he couldn't be a soldier and he hated guns, and how he was ashamed that he was learning to kill. He even told them about some of the problems between him and Alfred and Leslie.

Bruce didn't expect that he would say it all, didn't believe that he would even be able to, that he would trust them enough, but he found he did trust them, and he wanted to tell it to them. He realizes it had been a long time since he had confided in someone, and since he had even had a friend.

Eventually, he trails off, and they wrap up their dinner. Bruce manages to get the bill before they can, which they scold him for. As they’re leaving, Mary tells him, “When you go home, talk to Alfred and Leslie about what you told us, okay? They care about you and will want to hear about what you’re feeling. And for what it’s worth, if our Dick grew up to be a man like you, I would be proud of him.”

Bruce’s voice breaks as he says, “Thank you.”

John pulls him down into a hug. “Take care of yourself, okay? And come by the circus later. We’re camped just on the edge of the town.”

Bruce nods and Mary gives him a hug too. Dick yells, “Bye!” as they part ways. Bruce goes back to his room at the bed-and-breakfast feeling raw and emotionally exhausted. His sleep is long and deep. He dreams of home for the first time in years.

John and Mary walk leisurely back to the circus. “That man really needs people in his corner.” John remarks. 

“And to realize there are already people in his corner.” Mary adds.

He hums in agreement. “He has a lot of anger in him.” he observes.

“The best ones often do. You did.” Mary nudges her husband. “You still do.”

Dick pipes up, “Broose is a best one. He’s a superhero!”

They laugh. “Yes, he is, Dickie.”

The next morning, Bruce heads out earlier than he needs to before he meets with his current trainer. He wanders around the town and finds himself staring at the old payphone in front of the town’s small police station. Before he can catch himself, he is slotting in the coins and dialing a familiar number. The phone rings, but Alfred isn't picking up. With a start, Bruce realizes it’s the middle of the night in Gotham, and then the tone of the answering machine sounds in his ear. Bruce freezes.

“Hi, Alfred.” he begins haltingly. “It’s...it’s me, Bruce. I...uh...wanted to say...sorry, for how I acted, and...thank you, for taking care of me, you and Leslie. I...I’m okay. I’m in Europe. I’m not coming home. I will, just, not yet. I met some people and...I guess I realized some things. I’ll come home eventually, and you don't have to worry about me. I’m sorry for not calling.”

He stands there for a moment without saying anything, then he says goodbye and hangs up. He stares at the phone for a moment, then turns and keeps wandering distractedly through the town.

Later in the day, after Bruce is finished training, the Graysons hunt him down at the bed-and-breakfast and they spend their evening together. Bruce entertains Dick while his parents chat with Bruce. He’s surprised again to find that he enjoys the family’s company, and is still surprised that they are so kind to him.

After a few days of either the couple seeking him out or him running into them, Bruce ends up going to the trailer camp. When he knocks on the door, they invite him in happily and Dick launches himself at him, shouting gleefully, “Babi!”

Bruce lets his lips curve into a small smile as he catches the boy. “Hey Dickie.”

Later, Mary tells him, “He decided to start calling you Babi yesterday.”

“Does it mean something?” Bruce asks.

She shares a look with her husband. John answers, “He chose it because your name starts with “B”, so there’s no big meaning, but it is pretty close to what he calls us.”

“I don't want him to get too attached if we’ll be parting ways soon.”

Mary gives him a sad look. “It’s in children’s nature to form these kinds of bonds, Bruce. If you deny them that, you’ll only hurt them. And you’ll only hurt yourself by denying yourself human connections too.”

Bruce doesn’t look like he believes her fully, so she just squeezes his shoulder. “You'll get it eventually.” she tells him. “In the meantime, just be happy he loves you so much. Children are good judges of character, you know.”

Another day, Bruce finds them practicing in one of the bigger tents. Dick greets him cheerfully on the ground and his parents wave at Bruce from the air. John and Mary go through their routine, soaring gracefully through the air and Dick provides commentary, naming all the maneuvers as his parents execute them. When they’re done, they come down and Bruce complements their skill. John laughs, “They say we’re the best in the world. We’d  _ better _ be impressive.”

Then it’s Dick’s turn to practice. He uses simpler equipment and less showy moves, but he moves with just as much innate grace as his parents, despite only being four years old. Mary stands below to spot him and calls out encouragement and advice in a mixture of Romani and English. “Good job Dick! Shift your weight a bit more to the left there. That’s it! Hold there. Good job!”

Watching from beside him, John tells Bruce, “You should come see us in one of our shows. We’re leaving town in a couple days, but you said you’ll be finished your training here soon. Come find us when you’re done here, and go find your next teacher after. We’d love to see you again.”

“I think I will.” Bruce answers truthfully.

Dick lands and Mary tells him, “You did beautifully, my little Robin.”

As she walks back over to the men, she calls, “Did I hear you say you’ll come to our show, Bruce?”

He smiles. “You did.”

“Wonderful!” she exclaims, and Dick cheers.

Bruce ends up going to the show like he said he would. Dick is extremely happy to see him again, and starts chattering a mile per minute about everything that had happened since he’d seen him last. John and Mary seem anxious, but Bruce chalks it up to pre-show jitters. They send Dick to sit in the stands with Bruce and leave to do final preparations for the show.

Finally, the show starts. Every act is amazing, and Bruce is pulled back to memories of going to the circus with his parents before that night in the alley. Then it’s time for the Graysons’ act. Bruce and Dick cheer loudly as they step onto the ropes. The entire tent is enthralled, and the grand finale comes quickly. The net is taken away, and the audience cheers that much louder. 

Suddenly though, the trapeze rope snaps. Bruce stands abruptly, but there is nothing he can do. As soon as he realizes what is happening, he turns Dick’s face in to his chest to try to keep him from seeing his parents fall. Their bodies land loudly in the shocked silence of the tent, and Bruce feels sick. Dick struggles in his grasp, knowing something went wrong and trying to see if his parents are alright. “No Dick.” Bruce tells him weakly. “Don't look. Please. Dick, stop struggling.”

Dick manages to get a glimpse of his parents, and he screams in distress. “No! Mami! Tati!”

He starts crying in Romani, and Bruce does not understand the words, but he knows what Dick is saying. His heart breaks and he tries to keep from shaking. He carries Dick away from the crowd and towards the trailers. He doesn't have the heart to go into their trailer, so he just sits on the front step and holds Dick while he cries. Bruce can’t stop the tears from falling down his own face too.

He doesn't know how long they sit there, but when Bruce finally moves, Dick has stopped crying and is laying listlessly in his arms. Some part of Bruce vaguely registers this as going into shock, and he opens the trailer door, hoping to find something to help Dick. He wraps a blanket around the boy, then he looks around the small space and finds a stuffed elephant, which Dick clutches tightly. His eyes land on the table next, where there is a folded piece of paper with his name on it. He unfolds it and finds a letter dated with the current date. He sits down to read it.

_ Dear Bruce, _

_ If you are reading this, something has happened to us. If you do not know yet what happened, it is because we hadn't told you yet. We’ll explain in this letter. We’ve suspected for some time that this might happen, we only did not know when or how it would happen. _

_ Recently, we discovered that a group called the Court of Owls has an interest in our son. We do not know for what purpose, but we believe they intend to take him from us. We found out Pop Haly knew about this, and we confronted him. He was extremely anxious and seemed to believe that this group was going to come after him and us too. We told him we planned to take Dick away from the circus at the end of this season, and he told us not to interfere. He would not say anything more on the subject. _

_ Do not dismiss this out of hand. You know all myths have a grain of truth to them. If the Court does exist, and had a hand in our demise, you are an intelligent detective and you will find evidence of foul play. We also saw a suspicious man talking to Haly this morning. Haly was clearly distressed and the man was lean and muscled, with strangely pale skin, and he was dressed abnormally, with many layers of clothing despite the warm weather. _

_ If the Court is as powerful and as hidden as the nursery rhyme suggests, taking this to the authorities will accomplish nothing, nor will going after them yourself accomplish anything. You will want to seek revenge, but you need to take care of Dick. If you go after them with no planning or knowledge or help, you will be killed and he will be left alone as easy prey for them. You will need to take him with you wherever you are going to train. You have told us how long you believe your training will take, and in that time, the Court will likely lose interest in chasing you around the world. When you return to Gotham, you and he will be in the eye of the public and they will not want to expose themselves by attacking you. _

_ Please, we are begging you to look after our son. We have no family left, and the circus is unable to protect them. We know your training will be dangerous, and were you any other man, we would not trust you to keep Dick safe, but the Court is far more dangerous, and we do trust you. You are a good man Bruce. You are kind and gentle and strong and determined. We know that you will protect Dick with everything you have. _

_ Tell Dick we love him, and don't give up, Bruce. _

_ Love, John and Mary Grayson  _

_ P.S. Take whatever you need from our trailer. _

_ P.P.S. You have our blessing when you do take down the Court of Owls. _

Bruce put down the letter and takes a moment to digest it. He doesn't really know what he’s going to do. A glance at Dick shows he’s still staring blankly at nothing. Bruce lifts him up and sits him on the table to face him. He pushes his hair away from his forehead. “Dick? Dick, I know it hurts, but you have to come back now. Come on Dick.”

He rubs circles on the boy’s shoulder with his thumb. “Dick? Can you feel that? Come on buddy, I need you to answer me. Dickie, please. Just listen to my voice okay?”

Dick’s eyes finally focus on Bruce’s face, and his breath hitches as tears fall and his face crumples. “I know.” Bruce whispers brokenly as he gathers the boy into his arms. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”

Eventually, Dick stops crying and this time he falls into a restless sleep. Bruce takes the letter, any legal documents, some family photos, and Dick’s clothes and toys. He leaves the rest behind and takes Dick back to his hotel room, but before he leaves the circus grounds, he stops to gather evidence and samples as best possible. He examines it back at the hotel room, and finds evidence of acid being poured on the trapeze rope. The acid doesn't give him any clue as to who killed the Graysons, since it’s common and easily accessible, but he also has their letter in his pocket, and he vows to take down the Court of Owls when he returns to Gotham. Bruce doesn’t sleep well that night, but he holds Dick close and hopes the boy at least gets some restful sleep. He makes arrangements to have John and Mary’s funeral and burial taken care of, and he takes Dick and leaves in the morning to find his next teacher.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't steal away in the middle of the night with a kid, guys. Assume Bruce talked to some people so he didn't end up a suspect in an investigation.
> 
> Also, please don't take what Bruce did as a guideline for how to treat victims of shock. Even if some of what he did was correct, he was also in shock a little bit, but of course he would have ignored it.
> 
> Tell me what you think, what was good, what was bad, etc. I have more written for this verse, and hopefully it is coming soon.


End file.
